Cafe moving ahead over resident protest

After several years of dealing with employee parking in front of our homes because of the lack of parking in the massive overbuilt shopping center at the corner of Milwaukee and Dundee in Wheeling, the village board instigated two-hour parking in the neighborhood and gave the residents parking passes.

Thanks to the board for listening to us on that problem.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the gaming cafe serving beer and wine to be located in that center. It will be located in an end unit with its huge open window facing several homes of longtime residents, will enter and exit off a residential street, is two blocks from a grade school and requested it be open 19 hours a day.

The board is taking a wait- and-see attitude but has not approved the full 19 hours.

Prior to the recent election the establishment was given a negative recommendation but was referred back to the plan commission and not scheduled for rehearing until after the election. So following the plan commission’s two negative votes, the newly-elected village president, his newly-elected protégé and one re-elected trustee and the former chairman of the plan commission who is currently a trustee voted for it.

Thanks to Trustees Brady, Heer and Vogel who voted against the request.

So much for the promises of transparency, communication and listening to the residents which was touted during the recent campaign. I guess it’s just politics. What a shame.

Christine Dolgopol

Wheeling